War of 1812 - HISTORY

James Madison is considered to be the "Father of the Constitution," but it was the War of 1812 that ultimately defined his presidency.

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Explore the circumstances and events that would ultimately lead to James Madison's request for a declaration of war against the British.

During the War of 1812, the British army, under Admiral Cockburn, captured Washington, D.C. Just before setting fire to the Capitol Building, Admiral Cockburn chose the only item labeled as "President of the U. States," from the President's ceremonial office as a memento.

This Day In History takes us back to June 18th, 1812, when Great Britain fought Americans in what is known as the War of 1812. Find out why the two fought and what exactly happened. See how the White House was burnt down and destroyed. It's all in this wild, yet interesting video clip.

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Watch this interview clip of former U.S. President, Gerald Ford, about his views on war and President Bush. He claims President Bush has many more difficult decisions to make than he did while he was in office. During the Cold War, Ford only had to deal with one man to assure peace, but President Bush needs to deal with people worldwide to assure peace. To hear more from our former U.S. President, watch this clip.

On March 23, 1983, in what later became known as his "Star Wars" speech, President Ronald Reagan announces his plans to develop an anti-missile capability to counter the threat of Soviet ballistic missiles and to make these nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete."